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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Here are a few pictures from the past week. Caleb had his very first Rice Krispie treat earlier this week. He seemed to like it, it took him about 20 minutes to finish it though, he liked picking it apart and watching the marshmallow stretch. I also got a picture of him standing in his braces, he is just getting so big! I don't always realize how tall he is getting and then I see a picture of him standing up and it blows my mind!! We had a playdate here with Nathan and Bryce(Ethanwasn't feeling well). Us mom's were so busy chatting that I failed to take many pictures but I managed to get a picture of Nathan and Caleb playing close by, I think Bryce was around the corner eating grapes so he didn't make it into this shot. Yesterday was my sister's 14th birthday so Caleb got a rare treat of cake and ice cream. He loved it and had quite a tantrum when it was all gone! I can relate, I get sad when my dessert is gone too!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

We decided to take advantage of the long Easter weekend and go and visit MeMe and Papa (Caleb's great-grandparents). We had a really good time while we were there. Caleb showed off his new wheels to MeMe and Papa, they have a very big driveway and he was able to go all around in his wheelchair (thank you Ethan for the gloves-they helped keep Caleb's hands somewhat clean!). We dyed some eggs but Caleb quickly cracked them by throwing them on the ground. Caleb had the most fun riding PaPa's new John Deere lawn mower. Glenn drove Caleb all around the neighborhood on the mower and Caleb had an absolute ball. He was grinning from ear to ear. Caleb wasworn out from the busy weekend and fell sound asleep on the car ride home (with Elmo, Ernie, and Dotty of course).

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Today we went to the Scottish Rite Easter Picnic. It was absolutely beautiful weather and we had a great time. Caleb was all over the place in his wheelchair and the boy was totally in love with the Bunny. He followed that bunny all over the place and would practically jump out of his chair whenever he saw the bunny. All of Caleb's buddies (Ethan, Bryce, and Nathan) were there, plus we got to see several families that we hadn't seen since Family Camp. It was fun to see everyone andwatch all of our kiddos together. After the egg hunt we had a little picnic in the grass. It was a lot of fun. Caleb was exhausted by the time we got home and both him and daddy took an afternoon nap (while mommy went to get groceries)!

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Here are some more pictures of Caleb working hard for his physical therapist Chris this week. She was getting Caleb to walk pushing the chair with his leg braces on but with the knees unlocked (his knees have to be locked when he is using his walker). I've said it before but I am blown away by how hard my boy works. I can't imagine how difficult some things are for him but he doesn't care, he just does them anyway. I know some adults that don't work as hard as Caleb does. I can'texpressenough how difficult some things have been for him and how hard he has had to work on a daily basis to reach milestones that come naturally to other children. I think that is why his milestones mean so much to us because we have seen first-hand how hard it was for him to get there. I remember how hard it was for him to hold up his head when he was a baby (because of the hydrocephalus), it took him months to be able to keep his head steady. He was 15 months old before he could sit up well on his own. I remember when I was pregnant with Caleb and we found out that he had SB and we were basically told that he would be a mentally retarded vegetable that probably wouldn't survive and then in the next sentence asked us if we wanted to terminate the pregnancy (I changed doctors after that)! Look at Caleb now, he is incredibly bright, and he is clearly not a vegetable. He is such a blessing to us and to our entire family. He brightens each and every day. We have been through some trials recently with me having 2 miscarriages in a row, both requiring D&C's but God has gotten us through them and our faith has been refined and strengthen because of it. We are sad over the 2 babies we have lost but we are enormously grateful for Caleb, and consider it a privilege to be his parents. Thanks to all of you who take the time to look at pictures of our boy, it means a lot to me. We are beyond proud of him.

We actually got some snow in Texas this week. I was so excited when they were predicting 3-5 inches of snow because that just never happens here. Unfortunately our area didn't see 5 inches, as you can tell it barely covered the yard. A little disappointing but I took Caleb outside to see what snow we did get (who knows when he will see snow again). He didn't quite know what to think about it but he did enjoy the tiny snowman I made. The snow didn't last long either, I think it was completely melted by 9am!!

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Here are a few pictures from this week. The first picture is with Chris, Caleb's wonderful & amazing physical therapist. We use the therapy ball with Caleb to increase his trunk strength and it has worked wonders. He used to be absolutely petrified on that ball and now he loves it and actually asks to get on it. I also got a couple of pictures of Caleb with his braces and walker. He is doing sooo well with his walker. He seems to be getting more confident and is usingit betteron his own. I can't wait for when he will be able to get around the house without us having to be right there beside him. I am amazed at how hard he works all the time and always with a smile on his face. I know that it has to be quite difficult to use his leg braces and walker, it really takes a lot of energy to do it. Caleb is always such a trooper and works so hard without complaining. Every milestone that Caleb has reached has required a lot of hard work to get there. I am just so proud of him!